USA > Alabama > History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II > Part 89
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locks and ( 3,191,726.50
dams) .... | 1,441,249.57
Florence to
Colbert
Shoals Sec-
tion (in-
cludes oper-
ating
and
care
o f
locks
and
dams)
983,104.67
Colbert Shoals
Canal ( con-
struction) .
2,313,000.00
Colbert Shoals
Canal (op-
erating and
care)
103,509.05
9,622,044.83
Examinations, Surveys, and Recommenda- tions .- The following list shows the dates of examinations and surveys made by the United States Government of all streams and harbors in the State of Alabama from 1828 to 1915, with the recommendations and estimated costs of proposed improvements.
Alabama and Coosa Rivers .- Preliminary examination Nov. 15, 1907; survey Oct. 8, 1908; improvement at estimated 636.000 recommended .- House Doc. 1089, 60th Cong., 2d sess.
Alabama River .- Survey Mar. 8, 1876; improvements at estimated costs of $229,741 and $459,773.25 recommended .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1876, p. 498.
Survey Dec. 10, 1890; improvement at estimated cost of $386,251 recommended .- House Ex. Doc. 140, 51st Cong., 2d sess., and .U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1891, p. 1761.
Survey Nov. 15. 1905; improvement at estimated cost of $650,000 recommended .- House Doc. 378, 59th Cong., 1st sess.
Preliminary examination between Mont- gomery and Selma July 31, 1911; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 1115, 62d Cong., 3d sess.
Big Bear Creek .- Survey Jan. 26, 1882; no recommendation; estimated cost of im- provement, $5,900 .- Senate Ex. Doc. 92, 47th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1882, p. 1869.
Preliminary examination Mar. 12, 1887, and survey Oct. 27, 1887; no recommenda- tion; estimated cost of improvement $50,000. -House Ex. Doc. 84, 50th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1888, p. 1639.
Black Warrior River and Fivemile Creek Canal .- Preliminary examination Nov. 28, 1896; survey Nov. 19, 1898; estimated cost of construction, $4,000,000; unfavorable re- port .- House Doc. 88, 55th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1899, p. 1702.
Black Warrior River .- Survey below Locust Fork Jan. 27, 1875; no recommenda- tion; estimated cost of improvement $151,- 103 .- House Ex. Doc. 75, 43d Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1875, pp. ii, 16.
Survey from Tuscaloosa to Forks of Sipsey and Mulberry Aug. 15, 1880; improvement at estimated cost of $1,200,000 recommended. -Senate Ex. Doc., 42, 46th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1881, p. 1218.
Survey from Daniels Creek to Mulberry and Locust Forks Jan. 30, 1896; estimated cost of improvement $1,750,000; no recommenda- tion .- House Doc. 259, 54th Cong., 1st sess., with maps, and U. S. Chief of Engineers, An- nual report, 1896, p. 1461.
Survey between same points Nov. 25, 1901; improvement at estimated cost of $14,000 recommended .- House Doc. 239, 57th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers An- nual report, 1902, p. 1288.
Preliminary examination between same points June 7, 1909 and survey Sept. 6, 1910; improvement at estimated cost of $442,665 recommended .- House Doc. 72, 62d Cong., 1st sess., with maps.
Cahaba River .- Survey Jan. 27, 1875; im- provement at estimated cost of $40,000 rec- ommended .- House Ex. Doc. 75, 43d Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, An- nual report, 1875, pp. ii, 11.
Survey Feb. 1, 1881; estimated cost of im- provement $577,000; no recommendation .- House Doc. 36, 46th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1881, p. 1232.
Preliminary examination July 21, 1909; un- favorable to further improvement .- House Doc. 697, 61st Cong., 2d sess.
Chattahoochee River .- Survey, Thompson Bridge to Columbus, Nov. 19, 1879; estimated cost of improvement $4,870,811; unfavorable report .- House Ex. Doc., 17, 46th Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual re- port, 1880, p. 1705 with maps.
Survey from West Point to Bolton Feb. 25, 1882; estimated cost of improvement $486,- 474; no recommendation .- Senate Ex. Doc.
Locality in Alabama and other States not separable. Black Warrior, Warrior, and Tombigbee Rivers, Ala. and Miss. (includes operating and care of locks and dams) Chattahoochee River, Ga. and Ala.
1,400,153.50
1198
HISTORY OF ALABAMA
132, 47th Con., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1882, p. 1875.
Survey from West Point to Franklin Dec. 4, 1890; improvement at estimated cost of $100,000 recommended .- House Ex. Doc. 134, 51st Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of En- gineers, Annual report, 1891, p. 1756.
Survey June 5 between same points; esti- mated cost of improvement $1,149,914; no recommendation .- House Doc. 111, 56th Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1901, p. 1793.
Survey below Columbus July 4, 1853; esti- mated cost of improvements $30,000; no other details given.
Survey below Columbus Mar. 28, 1872; es- timated cost of improvement $464,000; no recommendation. - House Doc. 241, 42d Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1872, p. 584.
Survey below Columbus June , 1873; esti- mated cost of improvement $145,247; no rec- ommendation .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, An- nual report, 1873, p. 699.
Chickasaw Creek .- Preliminary survey May 11, 1909; survey Dec. 3, 1909; estimated cost of improvement $29,000; unfavorable re- port .- House Doc. 712, 61st Cong., 2d sess.
Choctawhatchee River .- Preliminary sur- vey Jan. 28, 1845, with favorable report, no other details given.
Survey April 6, 1872; estimated costs of three different projects for improvement, $34,332, $52,291.20, and $98,716.80; adop- tion of first and rejection of other two recom- mended .- Senate Ex. Doc. 63, 42d Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1872, p. 640.
Survey March 3, 1880; estimated cost of improvement $78,500; unfavorable report .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1880, p. 1081.
Conecuh River .- Survey July 29, 1879; es- timated costs of improvement projects, $62,- 430 and $241,685; unfavorable report .- House Ex. Doc., 82, 45th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1879, p. 843.
Survey Nov. 3, 1905; improvement at esti- mated cost of $31,000 recommended .- House Doc. 159, 59th Cong., 1st sess.
Coneculi and Escambia Rivers .- Prelimi- nary examination May 31, 1911; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 261, 62d Cong., 2d sess.
Preliminary examination Nov. 21, 1913; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 701, 63d Cong., 2d sess., with maps.
Coosa River .- Survey Coosa and Alabama Rivers June 30, 1904; estimated cost of im- provement $1,000,000; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 219, 58th Cong., 3d sess.
Preliminary examination Sept. 4, 1907, and survey Oct. 8, 1908 of site for Dam. No. 5; construction at estimated cost of $134,000 recommended .- House Doc. 1421, 60th Cong., 2d sess.
Preliminary examination Sept. 4, 1907, and survey Oct. 8, 1908 of Horseleg Shoals; im- provement at estimated cost of $241,039 rec- ommended .-- House Doc. 1115, 60th Cong., 2d sess.
Survey lower river, Mar. 23, 1872; im- provement at estimated cost of $1,923,020 recommended .- House Ex. Doc., 243, 42d Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1872, p. 502.
Survey lower river Aug. 15, 1880; improve- ment at estimated cost of $2,649,949 recom- mended .- Senate Ex. Doc. 42, 46th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1881, p. 1221.
Preliminary survey lower river Dec. 30, 1889; improvement at estimated cost of $6,- 074,913 recommended .- House Ex. Doc. 94, 51st Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of En- gineers, Annual report, 1890, p. 1658.
Survey upper river Feb. 2, 1871; improve- ment at estimated cost of $278,484.50 recom- mended .- House Ex. Doc. 60, 41st Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1871, p. 562.
Survey upper river Mar. 23, 1872; improve- ment at estimated cost of $417;726.75 recom- mended .- House Ex. Doc. 243, 42d Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1872, p. 502.
Survey upper river Aug. 20, 1872; im- provement at estimated cost of $470,668 rec- ommended .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, An- nual report, 1872, p. 536.
Survey upper river Sept. 15, 1875; improve- ment at estimated cost of $180,000 recom- mended .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1875, pp. ii, 661.
Survey upper river July 9, 1878, improve- ment at estimated cost of $155,616.23 recom- mended .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1878, p. 763 with maps.
Coosa, Tallapoosa, Etowah, and Altamaha Rivers .- Preliminary examination June 1, 1909, survey June 10, 1910; estimated cost of Government's proportion of joint improve- ments for navigation and water-power devel- opment $15,003,000; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 253, 63d Cong., 1st sess. with maps, charts, tables, etc.
Elk River .- Preliminary survey Oct. 16, 1884; unfavorable report; no estimate .- House Ex. Doc. 71, 48th Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1885, p. 1771.
Survey Jan. 10, 1889; improvement at es- timated cost of $4,000 recommended .- House Doc. 147, 55th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1899, p. 2308.
Fish River .- Preliminary examination Feb. 6, 1903; favorable report; no estimate .- House Doc. 234, 58th Cong., 2d sess.
Fowl River. - Preliminary examination June 1, 1909; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 299, 61st Cong., 2d sess.
Gunters Creek .- Preliminary examination Dec. 23, 1890; unfavorable report .- House Ex. Doc. 132, 51st Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1891, p. 2325.
Mobile Bay and Harbor .- Survey Nov. 15, 1826; estimated cost of improvement $10,- 000; no further. data.
Preliminary examination of outer bar June 25, 1900, survey Dec. 1, 1900; improvement at estimated cost of $91,750 recommended .-
1199
HISTORY OF ALABAMA
House Doc. 219, 56th Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1901, p. 1854.
Preliminary examination, channel Mobile Bay to Mississippi Sound, Dec. 28, 1882, and survey Feb. 28, 1884; estimated cost of im- provement $92,000; unfavorable report .- Senate Ex. Doc. 128, 48th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1884, p. 1228.
Survey of same channel Dec. 12, 1894; im- provement at estimated cost of $92,000 rec- ommended .- House Ex. Doc., 134, 53d Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1895, p. 1716.
Preliminary examination July 18, 1907, survey April 13, 1908; improvement at esti- mated cost of $50,000 recommended .- House Doc. 967, 60th Cong., 1st sess., with maps.
Preliminary examination of Mobile Harbor Nov. 25, 1852; favorable report; no further data .- House Doc. 8, 33d Cong., 1st sess.
Preliminary examination, same, Aug. 5, 1870, survey Dec. 26, 1870; estimated costs of two projects for improvement, $44,000 and $724,315.52; no recommendations .- House Ex. Doc. 60, 41st Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1871, p. 559.
Survey, same, Jan. 7, 1879; estimated costs of two improvement projects, $826,107.66 and $2,088,187.18; no recommendations .- Senate Ex. Doc. 38, 45th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1879, p. 799.
Survey, same, Jan. 16, 1896; estimated cost of improvement $1,640,000; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 199, 54th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1896, p. 1463.
Preliminary examination, same, June 25, 1900, survey Dec. 1, 1900; improvement at estimated costs of $13,750 and $91,250 rec- ommended .- House Doc. 219, 56th Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual re- port, 1901, p. 1854.
Survey, same, Dec. 11, 1905; improvement at estimated cost of $1,250,000 recommended. -House Doc. 647, 59th Cong., 1st sess., with maps.
Preliminary examination, same, July 27, 1909, survey Jan. 18, 1910; estimated cost of improvement $2,043,893.50; adverse rec- ommendation .- House Doc. 657, 61st Cong., 2d sess.
Mobile River and Harbor .- Preliminary ex- amination Oct. 22, 1884, survey Feb. 6, 1885; improvement at estimated cost of $1,500,000 recommended .- House Ex. Doc. 139, 48th Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1885, p. 1374.
Paint Rock River .- Preliminary examina- tion July 7, 1913; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 227, 63d Cong., 1st sess.
Patsaliga River .- Survey July 29, 1879; improvement at estimated cost of $25,000 recommended .- House Ex. Doc. 82, 45th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1879, p. 850.
Pea River .- Survey Mar. 3, 1880; esti- mated cost of improvement $56,750; unfav- Vol. II-31
orable report .- U. S. Chlef of Engineers, An- nual report, 1880, p. 1120.
Sucarnochee River .- Survey Nov. 19, 1890; estimated cost of improvement $35,- 000; unfavorable report .- House Ex. Doc. 116, 51st Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1891, p. 1800.
Tallapoosa River .- Survey Jan. 22, 1881; estimated costs of two improvement projects, $40,125 and $275,125; unfavorable report .- House Ex. Doc. 80, 46th Cong., 3d sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1881, p. 1223.
Tennessee River .- Survey below Chatta- nooga Feb. 20, 1868; improvement at an in- definite cost recommended .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1868, p. 557.
Survey below Riverton July 8, 1897; im- provement recommended, but no estimate of cost .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual re- port, 1897, p. 2262.
Survey between Florence and Riverton Feb. 1, 1909; improvement at estimated cost of $25,782 recommended .- House Committee Report 12, 61st Cong., 2d sess.
Survey, Bridgeport to Decatur, Mar. 27, 1900; no estimate and no recommendation .- House Doc. 277, 56th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1900, p. 3008.
Survey, Browns Ferry to Florence, Mar. 23, 1872; two estimates, $2,716,500 and $3,676,- 000; no recommendation .- U. S. Chief of En- gineers, Annual report, 1872, p. 495.
Preliminary examination of Colbert Shoals May 14, 1828; improvement recommended; no estimate; survey Jan. 9, 1888; estimated cost of improvement $923,175; no recom- mendation; no further data.
Survey of Elk River Shoals Aug. 11, 1877; estimated cost of improvement $736,249.50; no recommendation .- U. S. Chief of Engin- ยท eers, Annual report, 1877, p. 579 with maps.
Preliminary examination, Elk Shoal to rail- road, Nov. 7, 1907; improvement recom- mended .- House Doc. 781, 60th Cong., 1st sess., with maps.
Survey, Guntersville to headwaters of Warrior and Coosa Rivers, May 25, 1872; estimated cost of improvement, $11,570,607; no recommendation .- U. S. Chief of En- gineers, Annual report, 1872, p. 507.
Preliminary examination of Muscle Shoals May 14, 1828; improvment recommended .- House Doc. 284, 20th Cong., 1st sess.
Survey of same April 14, 1836; estimated cost of improvement $1,216,859; no recom- mendation.
Preliminary examination of same Jan. 11, 1909; unfavorable report .- House Committee Report 14, 60th Cong., 2d sess.
Survey of same May 5, 1914; improvement at estimated cost of $18,701,000 recom- mended .- House Committee Report 20, 63d Cong., 2d sess., with maps.
Survey from Scott Point to Lock A at head of Muscle Shoal Canal Mar. 27, 1900; im- provement at estimated cost of $770,640 rec- ommended .- House Doc. 577, 56th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1900, p. 3008.
1200
HISTORY OF ALABAMA
Survey of same Mar. 25, 1901; improve- ment recommended .- House Doc. 50, 57th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1902, p. 1743.
Tombigbee River .- Survey April 17, 1871; improvement at estimated cost of $21,500 recommended .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, An- nual report, 1871, p. 572.
Preliminary examination Dec. 9, 1905; un- favorable report .- House Doc. 334, 59th Cong., 2d sess.
Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers .-- Survey Nov. 13, 1903; estimated cost of im- provement $710,000 .- U. S. Chief of En- gineers, Annual report, 1904, p. 1840.
Survey Dec. 28, 1903; estimated cost of improvement $1,200,000 .- U. S. Chief of En- gineers, Annual report, 1904, p. 1840.
Warrior River .- Preliminary examination below Tuscaloosa Feb. 9, 1887, survey April 21, 1888; improvement at estimated cost of $875,000 recommended .- U. S. Chief of En- gineers, Annual report, 1888, p. 1227.
Preliminary examination for Lock and Dam Nos. 1, 2, and 3, June 25, 1900, survey Dec. 4, 1900; improvement at estimated cost of $760,000 recommended .- House Doc. 178, 56th Cong., 2d sess., and U. S. Chief of En- gineers, Annual report, 1901, p. 1858.
Survey, same, Dec. 13, 1901; improvement at estimated cost of $874,000 recommended. -House Doc. 165, 57th Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1902, p. 1293.
Preliminary examination, Tuscaloosa to Demopolis, Feb. 9, 1887, surveys Feb. 14, and Dec. 24, 1889; improvements at estimated costs of $1,000,000 and $577,000 recom- mended .- House Ex. Doc. 156, 51st Cong., 1st sess., and U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1890, p. 1716.
Waterway between Tennessee and Tombig- bee Rivers, via Big Bear Creek .- Survey April 1, 1875; estimated cost $1,705,312; unfavor- able report .- U. S. Chief of Engineers, Annual report, 1875, p. 808.
Preliminary examination for same May 15, 1913; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 218, 63d Cong., 1st sess., with maps.
Wills Creek .- Preliminary examination Mar. 6, 1913; unfavorable report .- House Doc. 101, 63d Cong., 1st sess., with maps.
See Canals; Internal Improvements; Mobile Bay and Harbor; Mobile, Port of; River and Drainage Systems; Steamboat Navigation; Water-borne Commerce; Water Power.
REFERENCES .- Reports and documents cited supra; Senate Committee on Commerce, Report on river and harbor bill (S. Rept. 527, pt. 3, 61st Cong., 2d sess.); Convention at Chatta- nooga, Dec. 5, 1877, Memorial on Muscle Shoals in Tennessee River (1878, pp. 23); Improvement Convention, Tuscaloosa, Nov. 17, 1885, Memorial and Proceedings (1886, pp. 68); Ibid, Dec. 29, 1897 (1898, pp. 64); Coosa River Improvement Convention, Gadsden, Sept. 27, 1899 (n. d., pp. 42); Tombighee River Improvement Conven- tion, Columbus, Miss., July 30, 1901, Memorial and Proceedings (n. d., pp. 26); W. P. Lay, River problems of Alabama (May, 1915, pp. 35 with plates) ; W. E. Martin, "Internal improve-
ments in Alabama," in Johns Hopkins Uni- versity Studies in historical and political science (1902).
RIVER TRANSPORTATION. See .Steam- boat Transportation.
RIVERDALE COTTON MILLS, Riverview. See Cotton Manufacturing.
RIVERTON. Postoffice and historic river- landing and railroad terminus on the Ten- nessee River, in the northwest section of Colbert County, 30 miles west of Tuscumbia. Population, 1910, Riverton Precinct, 5-906; 1912, the village, 250. It was orig- inally named Chickasaw for the Indian tribe, upon whose lands it was built, but in later years it has been given its present name. It is declared that "the navigation from Paducah, Ky., to Chickasaw landing is equal- ed in this country only by that of the Lower Mississippi and the Hudson." The distance is 300 miles from New Orleans. Rich beds of iron ore are found in the vicinity. It is the river terminus of the Northern Alabama Railroad.
REFERENCES .- Northern Alabama Illustrated (1888), pp. 103-105; Brewer, Alabama, p. 187.
ROAD AND BALLAST MATERIALS. Road-making materials in Alabama consist of chert, quartz pepples, and limestone, in- cluding dolomite. Chert is most extensively used. It occurs in the lower Carboniferous formation and In the Knox dolomite of the Silurian. In the former it is usually in more or less regular beds or sheets, in the latter rather in the form of concretionary masses. That from the former contains a good pro- portion of carbonate of lime and shows a tendency to harden on the surface, thus mak- ing an ideal road material. There are large quarries near Birmingham, Leeds, Anniston, Jacksonville, and other cities.
The rounded, water-worn quartz pebbles are abundant in the Lafayette formation, which is a mantle of sand and pebble covering more or less completely all the central and lower parts of the State. The pebbles are generally imbedded in a red sandy clay which acts as a cement, holding them in place and forming a road material practically as good as the chert.
Broken limestone and dolomite from the lower Carboniferous and Silurian formations in the northern part of the State are the most common road materials in the Tennessee Val- ley counties and in parts of the Coosa Valley. The supply of these substances is virtually inexhaustible.
All the foregoing road materials, as also broken sandstone and furnace slag, are used for ballast.
REFERENCES .- Smith and McCalley, Index to mineral resources of Alabama (Geol. Survey of Ala., Bulletin 9, 1904), pp. 69-70; Prouty, Roads and road materials of Alabama (Ibid, Bulletin 11, 1911), passim.
ROADS, STATE. The Legislature of 1915 designated the State Trunk Roads or High-
J. L. M. CURRY, LL. D. Alabama's representative in Statuary Hall, National Capitol, Washington, D. C.
1203
HISTORY OF ALABAMA
ways, numbering each and every one, intend- ing that a system of improved highways throughout the State should be maintained and that these highways should be State aid roads. In 1919, the Legislature added to this list, and designated numbers of other roads, but in a later Act approved September 30 of that year, and entitled "An Act, to cre- ate a State Highway Department, to define its powers and duty, etc., etc.," by section 23 of this Act, all this system as previously arranged for is abolished, and the Highway Commission is directed to connect each County seat with the county seats of the adjoining counties, by the most direct and feasible routes, by a permanent road, having due regard to public welfare.
The Commission is further directed to con- nect the county seats of the several border counties, at and near the State line with a public road in the border States. In the case of counties having two Judicial Divi- sions, where the Circuit Court is held at two places in the county, these two places shall be connected with one another.
The trunk line system previously mapped and designated by these several Acts, has not been readjusted by the Highway Depart- ment. On account of the decision of the Su- preme Court of February, 1921, declaring the State Bond Election void, the projected work and plans of the Department for a system will have to be remade.
REFERENCES .- Acts, Alabama, 1919, pp. 890- 893; Mss. data in the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
ROADS AND HIGHWAYS, HISTORIC. The sketch which follows is an effort, in a very brief way, to indicate the historic origin of Alabama roads and highways. Be- ginning with an account of aboriginal life, the main Indian highways and trails are discussed, followed by a description of the planting of white settlement, pioneer road beginnings, and early territorial and State road extension.
Within the limitations of a preliminary sketch, it is not to be expected that more than a brief outline can be given. While this is true, the facts and conclusions may be relied upon as accurate.
Aboriginal Life .- The early explorers of aboriginal America in their ever continuous marches from the seaboard into the interior soon realized that this vast region was not a pathless wilderness. They found the In- dians living in villages, subsisting mainly by agriculture, hunting and fishing being only secondary employments to supplement their main food supplies of corn, beans, pumpkins and squashes.
They found the villages, whether contingu- ous or far apart, connected by trails, and these trails were used by the explorers them- selves in their expeditions. In process of time, in the progress of exploration, it was found that Indian America was, in fact, a vast network of such trails, connecting not only village with village of the same tribe, but extending far off to other tribes, so that
it was feasible by means of these trails to traverse the entire continent. The trails were always along lines where there were the few- est physical obstacles or obstructions, often going along on the watershed of two streams, when these watersheds pointed in the right direction. The crossing places of streams were always selected with such judgment that from the most remote period down to the present day, these same crossing places have served in numerous instances the purpose of man, whether savage or civilized. The trails also often formed the basis of the modern civilized or white man's road.
The intertribal trails served all the pur- poses of war and peace. War parties marched along them in their raids against other tribes, in quest of booty and scalps. In times of peace the Indian trafficker slowly toiled along over them laden with his wares to exchange for the wares of another tribe. These inter- tribal trails thus strongly appeal to the archaeologist, as they were means of a dig- semination of relics, which show the wide extent of Indian intertribal traffic.
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